A ‘cat killer’ caught kicking an innocent pet like a football has admitted animal cruelty after footage of his sick act went viral.
Terry Bree, 71, from Leamington Spa, was spotted on a video doorbell lashing out at Lenny, a 21-year-old cat who died three weeks later.
The father-of-five admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.
What happened
Bree had taken his Alsatian dog, Sasha, for an early morning walk on September 16 when the incident occurred shortly before 7am.
He was seen putting his dog onto its lead in Hastang Fields before roughly shaking it by the neck and then, as he walks off, delivering a powerful kick to a nearby cat.
Leamington Magistrates were told by prosecutor Nabiha Ahmed that the elderly cat had become unwell after the attack – making messes in the home and appearing nervous to go outside.
He passed away on October 9.
Victim Impact Statement
In a victim impact statement read to the Magistrates’ Court, Lenny’s owner Lorraine Prentice, 49, said: ‘Since it happened I have not been sleeping properly and I wake up thinking I hear him but then remember he has passed away.
‘I feel sickened and shocked that someone could have done something like this to him.’
Ms Ahmed said the Crown would like to see a ban on Bree having custody of animals as well as costs and compensation.
Defending, Jas Thiara said that her client ‘deeply regrets his actions’ and is ‘very conscious that this has caused a public outcry.’
She said that Bree, who had been a dog owner for 35 years, had no dislike for cats but there had been problems with felines on the road.
Why he kicked the cat
She said that Bree’s dog Sasha had been scratched on the nose by Lenny in an earlier incident not caught on camera: ‘The frustrations got to him and he saw red.’
She told the Court that Bree had reported himself to the RSPCA after the incident.
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‘He took full responsibility and felt really bad at what had happened,’ she said.
But she pointed out that there was no way of confirming what level of injury would have been caused.
In her ruling, the Chair of the Bench Janis Cauthery, rejected the Crown’s call for Bree to be banned from keeping animals.
Bree was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to Lenny’s owners, £185 in court costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
